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Oklahoma Basketball: No. 1 Men Aren’t the Only Ranked Sooner Team

By Chip Rouse

Mar 21, 2015; Stanford, CA, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Peyton Little (10) talks with Sooners head coach Sherri Coale during the second half of their game against the Quinnipiac Bobcats in the first round of the women
Mar 21, 2015; Stanford, CA, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Peyton Little (10) talks with Sooners head coach Sherri Coale during the second half of their game against the Quinnipiac Bobcats in the first round of the women /
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It’s hard not to shine the brightest on the men’s Oklahoma basketball squad this season, but the Sooner women are more than holding their own, as well.

With the OU men sitting at No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 for the past two weeks, it is easy to overlook the Lady Sooners. What’s funny about this situation is that it represents a role reversal over what has taken place in the recent past.

Sherri Coale has headed the Oklahoma women’s basketball program from the beginning of the Big 12 Conference in 1996. Since that time, her teams have produced 13 20-win seasons and three years in which the Lady Sooners went over the 30-win mark. The OU women are 14-5 this season and ranked 21st in the AP Top-25 as they head into their game on Saturday against Iowa State, ranked just ahead of them in the AP poll.

Mar 8, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners forward Kaylon Williams (42) grabs a rebound against the Texas Longhorns during the first half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 8, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners forward Kaylon Williams (42) grabs a rebound against the Texas Longhorns during the first half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

The Oklahoma women have made 14 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and are well on their way to their 15th this season. The Sooner men have made steady progress since Kruger took over the helm five seasons ago, but while the men were making their steady climb all the way to the current No. 1 spot, Sherri Coale’s squad has been a consistent top-25 performer for most of the past 17 seasons.

The Lady Sooners are led this season by senior forward Kaylon Williams, averaging a team-high 13.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, and junior guard Peyton Little, who is averaging 12.2 points a game. Little’s uncle, David, played at Oklahoma from 1978-83.

Under Coale’s leadership, the Sooner women have been to three Final Fours and were the runner-up in the 2001-02 NCAA Women’s Championship, losing by 12 points, 82-70, to No. 1 Connecticut in OU All-American Stacy Dale’s senior season.

The OU women played perhaps their best game of the season earlier this week, coming from 16 points down to defeat No. 24 West Virginia 57-54. The Sooners, led by 23 points by Peyton Little, outscored the Lady Mountaineers 37-22 in the second half. Little scored all of her points after the intermission.

Needless to say, Lloyd Noble Center has been rocking all season long this year, as both Oklahoma basketball teams have commanded the national spotlight.

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